Janice Rodrigues (BOMBAY TIMES; November 24, 2019)

She’s a director’s dream, slipping effortlessly into challenging roles that have marked a glittering career of nearly 50 years. It’s little wonder then that after having won awards at Cannes, Venice and the Golden Globes, Isabelle Huppert thinks that such recognitions are actually a nod to the many people involved in the process of filmmaking. The French actress — known for unforgettable roles in films like The Piano Teacher, Elle, I Heart Huckabees and many more — is attending the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in its 50th year, where she was bestowed with the Lifetime Achievement Award. On the sidelines of the festival, she spoke to us about many aspects of cinema. Excerpts:

ON AWARDS AND ADAPTING LITERARY CHARACTERS FOR THE SCREEN
It’s always nice to get an award; cinema is collective work and when you get an award, it not only means that you have won it, everyone from the director to the rest of the team are also involved. It motivates individuals and people around them to work harder.

I have done several films based on books, Madame Bovary for example. When you do a movie, there’s all the liberty in the world to visualise a character. Your imagination comes to the fore, because the representation in the books can be quite abstract. As an actress, I feel complete freedom to visualise a character. I don’t have to imitate someone.

FILMS, STAGE AND CHOOSING THE RIGHT ROLES
I just try to act — whether it’s stage or cinema, I’m not so sure about the established differences. In theatre, depending on the kind of play I am doing, and depending on the director, I mould myself. For example, one European director would be very influenced by Japanese art and the eastern body language style, or another director might be very abstract. But I don’t really think about myself as a stage actor or a film actor. The difference of form is something that the director has to take into account. For me, it’s just acting.

As for me, when I’m choosing roles, there are so many elements to look at, from who the director is to what is the scope of my role. The role should suit me in all its complexities — for example, I don’t like to do something that is too sentimental. I just finished a Europe tour of two plays, one about a mother and the other about Mary Queen of Scots. I will soon join another tour of the play, The Glass Menagerie.